Skid attachment for an outboard motor



Sept. 13, 1955 J. A. WILLOUGHBY 2,717,570

SKID ATTACHMENT FOR AN OUTBOARD MOTOR Filed July 5, 1952 IN VENTOR 21L awn uz ua v a,

United States Patent SKID ATTACHMENT FOR AN OUTBOARD MOTOR John A. Willoughby, Washington, D. C.

Application July 3, 1952, Serial No. 296,987

1 Claim. (Cl. 115-42) The invention relates to a boat skid for small craft which move at times through shallow waters.

The device is particularly adapted for use on small craft, equipped with an outboard motor, which move through shallow water over sandy or muddy beds. The device also assists in beaching the boat.

The object of the invention is. to provide a convenient, inexpensive and easily attached means to protect the propeller of motor driven craft from digging into the soft mud or sand.

It is also an object to provide a skid means which will slide over soft mud and sand with little resistance.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device showing it attached to the skeg or gear housing of an outboard motor,

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the device shown in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section of the attaching POI- tion taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, the skid, indicated generally 1, is made up of two sections, the fiat sliding section 2 and the channel-shaped attaching section 3. The channel-shaped attaching section 3 is provided with aligned openings 4, by which the device may be attached to the skeg or gear housing of an outboard motor 5 (Fig. 2) of any small craft by means of a cotter pin or any other suitable fastening means.

The device may be made up from tubular stock or any other suitable material flattened in one portion to provide the sliding section 2 having a substantially fiat sliding surface 7 which will rest and slide upon the sand or mud bed and tend to lift the skeg out of the water a suificient distance to prevent the motor propeller from digging in and, shearing the propeller pin or damaging the propeller. The second or attaching portion 3 of the tubular stock is cut out to provide a substantially U-shaped channel 8 which will embrace the gear housing to provide a convenient manner of attaching. The two portions 2, 3 are integral, symmetrically disposed relative to a common plane and are joined by a partially flattened arcuate section 9 so that the two portions 2, 3 are angularly disposed with respect to each other, to form an abutment shoulder 10 spaced upwardly from the bottom of the channel structure constituting a thrust element. The width of the sliding portion 2 with its flat surface 7 is substantially greater than the width of the attaching portion.

In use the device is attached to the skeg of a conventional outboard motor on a boat. When the boat is moving in shallow water where the propeller would tend to dig into the sand or mud bed, the flat sliding surface 7 will form a skid means which will assist the boat in moving over the bed in a manner similar to a sled runner moving over ice or snow. The skid will thus act as a propeller guard when used with a motor propelled craft, preventing the blades of the propeller from digging into the bed and possibly breaking the blades or shear pin. The skid will also serve to raise the propeller over submerged rocks and logs which cannot be readily seen by the person operating the boat.

I intend to be limited not by the specific form of the invention disclosed but by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A skid attachment, adapted for mounting on the skeg of an outboard motor, comprising a member having a substantially straight portion at one end, an arcuate portion at the other end merging into said straight portion, said portions being symetrically disposed relative to a common plane, said straight portion comprising a U- shaped upwardly facing channel structure of a width adapted to embrace the outboard motor skeg and having aligned openings therein for receiving suitable attachment means, said arcuate portion comprised of a flattened tubular section, said flattened section merging into a partially flattened section at the point of jointure, and an abutment shoulder provided at said partially flattened section spaced upwardly from the bottom of said channel structure, said abutment shoulder constituting a thrust element adapted for engagement with the skeg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,028,333 Desenberg et al June 4, 1912 1,167,876 Bartlett Jan. 11, 1916 1,225,252 Johnston May 8, 1917 1,226,400 Smith May 15, 1917 1,226,699 Saunders May 22, 1917 1,686,803 Evinrude Oct. 9, 1928 1,869,977 Modin Aug. 2, 1932 1,953,599 Grimes Apr. 3, 1934 2,135,907 Miller Nov. 8, 1938 2,355,842 Arado Aug. 15, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 761,567 France Jan. 10, 1934 

